Feral cats can be managed

In his recent commentary, George Fenwick calls cats "invasive" and "not part of the natural environment," blaming cats for billions of bird and rodent deaths ("The destructive invasive species purring on your lap," Feb. 26). He claims that trap, neuter, return (TNR) programs are a failed strategy and asks for local governments to gather millions of unowned cats and "euthanize" those for which homes cannot be found. Sadly, his claims are not based on facts.

The millions of cats in America are now as much a part of the "natural environment" as are the millions of people on this continent descended from the Pilgrims and other immigrants. Past studies claiming that cats kill hundreds of millions of birds every year have used unscientific methodologies that have yielded grossly exaggerated numbers. Indeed, Britain's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) recently published an article entitled, "Are cats causing bird declines?" The RSPB noted that estimates of how many creatures are killed by cats each year vary significantly. Furthermore, the RSPB stated that "it is likely that most of the birds killed by cats would have died anyway from other causes before the next breeding season, so cats are unlikely to have a major impact on populations."

TNR involves neutering cats and vaccinating them against rabies and other diseases. Since it eliminates breeding and guards against disease, TNR cannot lead to "increased uninoculated populations of cats" as Mr. Fenwick suggests. Finally, local governments have tried for decades to gather and kill unowned cats. But because cats continue to breed, that strategy has failed, whereas TNR has been proven to gradually decrease the free-roaming cat population.

In response to the letter, "Cats: Natural-born killers" (March 9), so are humans. When I moved into my house in Havre de Grace 18 years ago, there was an abandoned house behind our property and there still is. There were also 19 feral cats. There were squirrels, opossum, raccoons and birds. The...

In his recent letter ("Cats: Natural born killers," March 9), Kurt Schwarz of the Maryland Ornithological Society asserted that cats kill billions of birds in this country each year. He encouraged people to review the scientific literature on birds and their predation. A key study was the Smithsonian...

I have been reading a lot of anti-cat rhetoric in The Sun for some time now ("The destructive invasive species purring on your lap," Feb. 26). If cats are dangerous to birds and other creatures — mice, rats, toads and the like — why are so many of them still running and flying around my house?

Op-ed writer George Fenwick's assertion that trap, neuter and release programs (TNR) lead to an increase in the number of uninoculated species is unfounded. He obviously does not understand how TNR works.

Predation by free-roaming cats is a serious matter, and it deserves our careful attention ("House cats: the destructive invasive species purring on your lap," Feb. 25). The Humane Society of the United States values both cats and wildlife. Yet it is unrealistic and inhumane to simply gather up...

I am compelled to respond to George Fenwick's commentary ("The destructive invasive species purring on your lap," Feb. 26). He cites recent studies suggesting very high bird and mammal deaths due to outdoor cats. He then goes on to propose a Draconian solution that could accurately be described...